The Weekly °

The arts, since I was a kid, I've always had a passion for creativity; from drawing, to music, to poetry – I've done it. But writing, is the only thing that wouldn't let go,

like a snapping turtle. That kept me up at night, yet, helped me sleep when I'd have a bad day. The only thing that stressed me the fuck out, but also gave me the ability to find beauty in everything like greatest fucking pair of rose colored glasses once I got used to the tent. Writing is like food for me – nourishing, but it can poison you as well. I mean, we all have a poison. An addiction. Something that has the potential to kill us, drive us mad, yet, we constantly return to it. And this happens to be mine. There have been times when I didn't know how to take a step back; I was too wound up in the rejections, the high off praise, the feeling of writing something I was proud of and wondering if I could top it.

I started writing poetry when I was sixteen and felt totally different from everyone except for when I listened to 'The College Dropout' and “Good Life” by Kanye West. After I failed at writing raps and questionable songs I could never quite get on beat to my acoustic guitar (Melodies just aren't my thing, okay?). My first publication was a steady gig that lasted a couple mouths before the magazine shut down at seventeen. Putting yourself out there really tests your passion for writing; plenty of times I cried, wanted to give up and moments where my mother believed in me more than I did. But I've continued to push forward and submitted not only to poetry journals and anthologies, but other kinds of art magazines that always seem to leave poetry out of the mix, while keeping up with the online poets community across a myriad of social media websites.

Google+, Wordpress, Tumblr, Facebook; twitter and other pages solely dedicated to the written word. Blogspot was my first step into a true poetry community; I made great friends who helped me grow with honest feedback, support as well as opening up doors to publications and a review I did for Emmett Wheatfall, featured on the back of his book 'Fragments'. At twenty-one, I became a part of d'Verse Poets – a community where poets were welcome, but those who did not contribute to the growth of their peers by interacting were blocked from the site. We dedicated hours and hours of our time creating prompts, events, interviews and even putting together our own book, 'The d'Verse anthology: Voices of Contemporary World Poetry' in 2013. I've since left with their blessings.

Shortly after, I found instagram, but had no idea that a platform for food pictures and selfies would be a place to share my writing and become friends with so many beautiful, like-minded individuals. It's been quite an interesting experience. I am grateful that there are so many outlets to share my work. And with Instagram, I think it's about balance plus knowing who are as a writer and pulling back a bit because it is a fast media app, short writes work best and that's just a fact. Whoever said great writing can't be short, though? Poetry snobs look down on poems based on length, but some of the best poems in my opinion are short. For example, “Planning the Disappearance of Those Who Have Gone” by Frank Stanford,

Epicness, I say! One might argue that if Insta-poets aren't validating the beauty in your brokenness, the light in your chaos or focusing on the moon while she dances with demons, we don't get the recognition we deserve – well, you're right, but only for the most part because there are some people whom I believe are truly great writers with very high numbers. I just wish more would get that kind of shine. Overall, writing has given me the gift of patience and I'm looking forward to continuing my journey on and off social media, taking a dive at publishing my own books and branching into other fields as well.

Anthony Desmond is a twenty-five-year-old Detroit born writer & poet,

now residing in Center Line, Michigan. Desmond's poetry can be found in many magazines

and anthologies, including: What is Inspiration: Thoughts on Life Series Vol. 1,